LAUREL HILL — Using the city's unreserved account or fuel tax revenue and requesting county funding to cover road repairs were discussion points during the City Council's workshop on Tuesday.
Council chair Larry Hendren, following a city auditor's advice, suggested using funds from the city's unreserved account.
“I think there is enough money to isolate $83,000 (from the $199,572 account) and start on some road repair business," he said.
The account received funding last year through reimbursements, Hendren said.
Such credits are undependable or unlikely to recur, and these funds may not be easily replenished, Councilman Robby Adams said.
“It is money we will not be able to count on every year,” he said. “We are not going to get an insurance claim of $29,000 or a Gulf Power refund for $37,000 (every year).”
More dependable is a $30,000 state allocation the city annually receives from fuel tax revenue.
The city had been using fuel tax money to pick up roadside debris, against Florida statute, Mayor Joan Smith said.
"We are not supposed to be paying for it (debris pickup) out of that fund. Now, we are going to have to take it out of another fund," she said.
Road construction and maintenance, and purchase of transportation facilities, are within the statute's allowances.
Council members suggested opening a checking account to track how the money was being spent on road maintenance.
The council recently sent a letter to Okaloosa County commissioners requesting assistance with repaving unspecified roads.
The city would cover the cost of asphalt, while the county would be responsible for paving the roads, under the proposal.
City leaders sent the letter to Public Works Director John Hofstad, who could bring it before the board of commissioners, Hendren said.
There is no expected date to hear a response from the commissioners, he said.
Want to go?
The Laurel Hill City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 at City Hall, 8209 State Road 85.
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Laurel Hill council mulls possible funding for road repairs